


She's All I Think About

by scourgethehigher



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Cute, F/M, Fluff, based on extended theme, mention of other characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-21 06:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6042091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scourgethehigher/pseuds/scourgethehigher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As much as they know they can't be together, how they feel for each other can't be restrained.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"You've done it again, _bugaboo_ ," Chat Noir purred, moving close beside his partner. They had just finished dealing with the newest victim to Hawkmoth's akuma, Ladybug's special cure having already repaired all the damage that had been done to the city. Chat tilted his head, eyelids slightly droopy as he watched her brush off his pet name with a quiet snort. Ladybug began walking through the damp streets, her hips swinging confidently as she walked away, a sight Chat Noir never failed to miss. "Mmmmm, My Lady, you wouldn't leave your purr-ecious pet would you?" he called after her with a playful smirk, his bright green eyes glinting. She raised a hand in response and laughed, waving to him.

"Let's go, Chat! We only have a few minutes before we go back to our regular selves, and I _know_ I don't want to be there for _that,"_ she chided back, turning around and walking backwards to face him, a grin plastered on her lips slyly. Honestly, Chat Noir wouldn't really mind if she found out about his true identity, there were many benefits to it, but he loved and respected Ladybug, and if it was her wish to keep things secret, he was more than willing to oblige. Besides that, it wasn't like his home life was anything to brag about, a bitter, distant father and a lonely teenage boy whose mom ran off one random day. The memories resurfaced and he felt a pang in his heart, the threatening of a possible episode.

Running up to meet her, Chat Noir  did his best to shake off the memories, which was the easiest thing in the world to do as soon as his green eyes met her blue ones. She smirked at him and his knees went weak, tripping over his own feet and stumbling forward. Of course, his cat-like reflexes never would have allowed him to touch the ground, but when he was staring up into the eyes of his favorite person in the world, he quickly shrugged off that fact. Her hands, wrapped around his waist, burned through his suit, touching his soul and moving him. He didn't want to ruin the moment, but he wanted to complete the picture, raising his arms to be up and around her neck as he smiled at her.

"Whoops?" he asked quietly, staring into her bluebell eyes. She grinned and shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Silly kitty, I thought cats landed on their feet?" she asked, pulling him to stand upright. He stretched and leaned in close to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Well, I guess you swept me off of my feet before I had the chance to land," he cooed, rubbing his face against hers. She groaned and shook her head, laughing lightly.

"Chat, stop. One minute left, we gotta go! See ya!" she called, running off. He frowned and sighed, rubbing the back of his head and looking down at his claws. As much as he wanted to stay in this place of memories, he knew he had to get out of here. He ran to the closest alleyway, arriving just in time as he de-transformed. Plagg popped out and landed in Adrien's ready hands, groaning and huffing.

"You cut that one too close!" the little kwami scolded, rubbing his head. "You are so mean to me, making me wear myself out like that..." the creature grumbled, glaring up at Adrien. The teen sighed, furrowing his brows sadly.

"Sorry buddy, I didn't mean to. Here," Adrien fished out the kwami's favorite cheese, holding it out to Plagg who was now floating. Plagg attacked it and dove into Adrien's bag, snuggling up and getting comfy as he finished off the cheese. Adrien sighed and zipped up the bag, rolling his eyes, a small, sad smile gracing his features.

That feeling he had felt with Ladybug, the unparalleled feeling of being complete, of being at peace. It was always like that with his lady, always peaceful and riveting, quiet and impossibly loud, beautiful and scary.

As he laid in bed that night, he looked up at the ceiling, sighing. Every thought rested on his beautiful lady. Her bluebell eyes, her quiet smile, her powerful aura, her confident tone- everything. Groaning in frustration, Adrien turned on his side, disturbing the kawmi who slept beside him. Plagg cried out in annoyance.

"Ugh! Stop it Adrien! Tryin to sleep here!"

The teen sighed and looked at Plagg with soft, sad eyes.

"Is it always like this?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. The kwami groaned and tried to pretend to not hear him. Of course, when Adrien started to poke him, he was forced to answer.

"Yes! Geez, what's up with you? It's always like this. Every time. The Ladybug and Chat Noir always end up feeling like this. Now leave me alone!" he exclaimed, throwing his little paws up. Adrien tilted his head. or at least, he would've if he had actually been able to and was not lying down on a pillow already.

"So they... they always think about each other? Because she's all I think about. All day. I can't get her out of my mind. Especially recently, Plagg what is this?" he asked, starting to sit up.

"Noooo, don't get up, lay back down! Go back to sleep!" when he saw Adrien looking at him expectedly, he groaned and sat up, crossing his paws. "You can't make me say anything!" Adrien held up a piece of cheese that he had stored on his side table in case of emergencies like this. Plagg eyed it sourly for a moment before giving in and sighing, holding his little paw out to accept it. Grinning in victory, Adrien handed it over, fidgeting around until Plagg had finished the nasty cheese.

"Okay look, here's how it goes. You two are growing up. Things are happening in your bodies and it's all gross and human. But, there are things going on in your bodies that isn't quite human," he began, sounding annoyed but at least being cooperative. Adrien sat up straighter, listening more intently. "By now, Ladybugs and Chat Noirs would have already done something about the magnetism they feel, but you two are taking things a little differently. It's making the process speed up."

"Process?" he asked, moving back slightly at the term.

"You two are starting to absorb parts of us, small bits and pieces that will make you stronger in the end. Of course, this includes mine and Tikki's attraction for each other. Whoops," he laughed, shrugging.

This was a lot to process and Adrien still didn't really comprehend it.

"Is there... any way to fix it?" he asked tentatively. Plagg looked at him questioningly before shrugging.

"Maybe... get with her? Or not, your choice. But the magnetism is going to keep getting stronger and one of you is going to goof up," he answered, crawling back into a ball. He yawned and stretched, his tail wrapping around him. "Night."

"Night," Adrien whispered before laying back down, trying to understand what Plagg had said. If there was some sort of... magnetism... going on, what would that mean? And if he was absorbing pieces of Plagg, what would Adrien turn into? Would Plagg be completely absorbed? Who is Tikki? Probably Ladybug's kwami, he deduced. The mention of her name was enough to send on a torrent of memories, pictures of her and everything that they had done together. He sighed, a smile on his face. If there was some sort of magnetism, then it was inevitable. They were going to be together. She just didn't know it yet.

\--------

"Okay class, now, today we are going to learn about covalent and ionic bonds. We have spent the last few days discussing the periodic table, so now its time to go a little further. Can anyone tell me what a covalent bond is?" the chemistry teacher asked, a tired frown on her face as she made columns on the chalkboard. One side said "covalent" and the other "ionic". 

No one seemed to really want to raise their hand, and as Adrien looked around the room his eyes settled on one of his friends who seemed to be ready to fall out of her chair. Marinette was holding something in, probably the answer, but her nervous glances around the room seemed to indicate that she wouldn't give any answers until someone else did first. Adrien shook his head with a laugh and sighed before opening his textbook and reading up on covalent bonds. Raising his hand, he waited until the teacher called on him. 

"Yes! Adrien?" the teacher called, grateful for escape from the silence. 

 "A uh... A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs, and the stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms, when they share electrons, is known as covalent bonding," Adriend read straight from the text. The teacher nodded and called on Marinette, who seemed ready to burst. 

"An an ionic bond is a chemical bond where one atom gives up elctrons in order to form a stronger bond!" she called out, taking a deep breath afterwards like she had been holding her breath the whole time. 

"Correct, now, why is an ionic bond stronger?" she asked, looking around the class for more answers. 

"Because the ionic bond gave up more to become stable, so the energy necessary for it to be broken is greater than the energy necessary to break most covalent bonds," Max answered, raising his hand.

"That's right. Now, turn to page 132 and we will discuss the topic a little further. Now a covalent bond only bonds with..." her voice trailed off in Adrien's mind, fading out as his own thoughts took over. He wondered what type of bond he and Ladybug had. A goofy grin escaped his face, eyes closed as he thought about her. They were the purr-fect team! Both equals and both totally able to take down any badguy that surfaced. His smile faded as he remembered the team's experience with the Puppeteer, where Ladybug had been up against 3 akuma and himself. He tilted his head and his shoulders slumped back. Maybe she didn't need him after all. Maybe it was more like an ionic bond, while stronger, she had to give up something. He was the only one benefitting from this partnership. he felt so drawn to her but... he was holding her back this whole time?

Apparently sensing his change in mood, Nino threw an arm around his blonde friend and gave him a noogie. "C'mon stud! The bell just rang, time for lunch! I say we go over to my place. What do you think, huh ladies?" he asked, swinging Adrien around with him as he turned around to face Alya and Marinette who were both currently getting up from their seats. Alya laughed and waved him off, grabbing hold of her best friend's hand. 

"Uh, your place? Chicken nuggets and soda only go so far. I say we go to Marinette's place. At least they actually have good food," she volunteered for her friend who seemed to go red and start stammering nervously. 

"That sounds  _way_ better, I'm up for it!" Nino exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically. Adrien gave them a small smile and rubbed the back of his head. 

"If Marinette is okay with that, it does sound pretty cool," Adrien offered, looking down at the ground, his thoughts still on Ladybug and his own self-consciousness making him feel pretty low.

"M-my parents would probably be okay you with coming- I mean, coming with you- I mean uh..." Marinette nodded, stumbling over her words. Alya put a hand over her friend's mouth and smiled at the group.

"She is totally for the idea. Let's go."

As they were walking, Adrien tried his best to cheer up, but found himself unable to get his thoughts off of how insignificant he must be to Ladybug. He was only bad luck, and he always messed something up in their missions. She would be so much better off without him. That thought stung his eyes, water threatening to fall. While the group kept walking, he stopped and turned around, heading in the direction of his own mansion. Since Alya and Nino were so busy in their conversation, Adrien knew he would be able to fade into the background enough that he would be able to leave with ease. Tears started to fall as he moved quicker, needing to get out of there. For some reason, it reminded him vaguely of his detransformation, having to find cover quickly or else be exposed to the world. Plagg poked through his bag, trying to get his attention, but Adrien simply sighed and dropped some cheese in the bag and hurried further, almost there. 

"A-Adrien...?" a small voice called out to him from behind. Adrien froze in place, tears staining his face and eyes red and puffy. Turning around would be like torture, but his manners got the best of him. He turned and blinked, trying to dry his face as best he could, a little surprised by who had been following him. 

"...Marinette?" 


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien watched as Marinette's eyebrows furrowed in worry, her hand nervously reaching out for him. "Where are you going, Adrien?" she asked softly, seeming to be overly gentle in case she might break him. Adrien sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head. 

"Just uh... Thought I would get some food from my place instead. Wouldn't want to be a bur....den..." his voice trailed off, eyes closing and starting to water again. Damn it... Why couldn't he keep his cool? He was a model for heaven's sake! He was used to putting on different expressions and masking what he really felt... What was so different this time? He sniffled and turned around, trying to compose himself. "I'm s-sorry... I-" he stammered, words tumbling out half-hazardly before he took off in a sprint, unable to stay there where such a sweet and innocent girl would have to be troubled seeing his emotional trainwreck. He didn't look back, but he couldn't hear any footsteps behind him, so he hoped she wasn't following him. The pull in his stomach as he ran from her went barely registered as he closed the distance between himself and his mansion. 

The gates were closed shut tightly, tall and imposing and cold, just as they had always been. Never to keep anyone out, only meant to keep Adrien in. He pushed the button and called for Natalie to let him in, his voice scratchy and hoarse but apparently recognizable enough for the assistant to open the gates for him. He was greeted by Gorilla, who stared down at him with a softer look, moved by something Adrien could only imagine was pity. 

He didn't want pity. 

Natalie greeted him at the door with a nod. "Your father is up in his study on an important business call, keep quiet and try not to disturb him," she warned, though her normally stern tone was soft once she saw him. Adrien nodded and looked down at the floor, training his focus on getting up to his room. Every step echoed down the long, empty hallway, reminding him further of how alone he was. 

He collapsed on his bed, sighing and unable to cry any longer. Plagg phased out from the bag, floating over to sit on Adrien's head. 

"Tell old Plagg here what's wrong.Then go get me some cheese," the kwami instructed, patting Adrien's head with a nod. Adrien groaned and shook his head. 

"You won't understand."

Uh... Yeah I will. I've been around for a  _long_ time. Trust me, I'll get it," Plagg insisted, pushing at Adrien's face. The boy sighed and turned on his back, nearly trapping Plagg before the Kwami flew out of the way. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry Plagg," Adrien regarded the kwami sadly, shoulders slumped and entire expression sorrowful. "It's just... I was thinking about it and... I guess... I feel like maybe I'm not really necessary..."

Plagg nodded and gestured for Adrien to continue. 

"Like... Ladybug is totally fine without me. I'm just bad luck and I always hold her back. Not just that but like... My dad doesn't really need me either. My friends kept going without me, which I don't blame them for but it just... I know I'm just an extra," he concluded, hands coveri g his face. 

Plagg nodded and sighed, floating to sit on Adrien's chest. 

"Well, for one, you aren't the first Chat Noir to feel this way. There have been hundred before you who felt insignificant when they compared themselves to Ladybug. However, there have also been just as many Ladybugs who have felt the same way. It all depends on who the crowd is at the time. You may have bad luck, but without bad luck, there couldn't even be good luck. Besides, your bad luck is purr-fect for defeating bad guys. Ladybug can't destroy anything, it goes against her very nature, but you can always find a way out of a sticky situation, even if you brought it on yourself," Plagg explained, trying to cheer Adrien up. 

"But... She has done just fine without me tons of times..."

"Yes, but think of this. You and Ladybug are trapped in a room made by an akuma. There are no doors or windows. Ladybug has already used her lucky charm. You still have Cataclysm. Just beyond the wall is the akuma. What do you do? Well, Ladybug wouldn't be able to do anything. She would need _you_ in order to escape. You each have certain talents that make you necessary to one another. Embrace those talents. Besides, don't you have other things to be worrying about?" Plagg asked with a smirk. Adrien, who was feeling a little more comforted, raised a curious eyebrow. 

"What?" he asked as Plagg pointed to his lawnring, where a red polkadotted super hero waved. His eyes went wide as he stared at the beautiful lady- what was she doing here? Had she found out his secret identity? Was there an akuma in the area somewhere? Still, why would she be at Adrien Agreste's house? 

He rose to his feet and opened the doors for her, watching as she sauntered in, hips swaying confidently. He could feel that pull in his stomach again and felt drawn to her, unconsciously taking a step forward. She looked up at him with her usual smile and winked at him.

"I saw you running and crying as I was doing my rounds. Its everything okay?" she asked, her voice softening as she put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He figured his face must still be stained with tears since she was being so careful with him. He wiped at his swollen eyes and nodded. 

"Thanks, Miss Ladybug, but I think things are starting to get a little better," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. She didn't seem to buy it.

"I saw you leave your friends, are you sure everything is alright?" she asked, stepping a little closer. He looked down at her eyes, bluebell orbs shimmering with concern. As Chat Noir, he wanted to grab her and spin her around and kiss her, but Adrien barely knew her, so it wouldn't make sense to Ladybug. Instead, he settled with taking one of her hands and squeezing it, trying to reassure her. 

"Yes, Ladybug, I'm fine. I just needed to be alone. Thanks for checking on me though," he answered quietly, nodding his head. Her face seemed to turn pink, but she nodded and stepped back, her straight and confident posture completely opposite to his hunched and slumped over one. 

"Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, pulling out her yo-yo. He looked at her and nodded, smiling softly. 

"Can you tell my friends that I'll see them tomorrow? I'm going to stay home today," he told her, walking over to his balcony and looking out to the rest of Paris. She followed him and joined him as they looked out. 

"It must be hard to be a super hero," he commented quietly. Ladybug nodded and sighed. 

"It's not always what it's cracked up to be, no. But I wouldn't be able to do it without my lucky charm," she told him, smile gracing her pink lips. Adrien sighed and nodded. 

"Yeah, that's such a cool move you do."

She looked at him in question before her eyes widened and she started giggling. 

"Ohhh you thought I meant my literal Lucky Charm. No, while that is helpful, I was talking about my Chat Noir," she corrected him, smiling. His brows furrowed in thought as his eyes widened. 

"But... I thought he was bad luck?" he asked, confused. She shrugged and laughed. 

"Yeah, but to me, he's the best lucky charm I could have. I'm really lucky to have him," she giggled at her own play on words. Adrien felt himself cheering up, and he locked eyes with Ladybug for a moment. 

"He's lucky to have you," he added, watching as her face turned bright red. She laughed nervously and stood back up straight, tossing her yo-yo out. 

"See ya later, Adrien," she told him, giving him a wink before heading off. 

As Adrien stood there, taking in what she said, he felt his heart thrum, beating as fast as his mind was racing. He actually meant something to her. She actually valued him, and not just around him, but she openly said it to others too! He spun around and flopped on his bed, sighing. Today was just too much. 

* * *

 He flew through the night, jumping from roof to roof, wind rushing through his hair and cool damp air moistening his suit. He wasn't sure if Ladybug would be out tonight, but he hoped she would be. At the thought of her name, his stomach pulled, tugging and throwing him off-balance. He blinked and stopped, straightenjng his posture so he could better feel it. Something was pulling him to... Something. He tilted his head, his fake ears flickering around. 

His head turned in the direction of the pull, eyes locking in on the direction. There wasn't anything special about the area from what he could see, but he could sense... _something._ Throwing caution to the wind, he took a lead of faith. 

Literally. 

His heart led him straight to a familiar bakery on his side of town. He blinked as he landed on the balcony, tilting his head curiously. He groaned, rolling his eyes and sighing. His heart? Yeah right. More like his kwami. 

"Plagg..." he mumbled, crossing his arms and plopping down and pouting. His tailed flicked around behind him, Plagg's excess energy. Of course he wouldn't actually be feeling something, it was all really dumb. 

"Chat Noir?"  a familiar voice called. He turned his head up, eyes wide. It was Marinette. He felt his heart start to race. He wasn't supposed to be here. Ohhhh crap. 

He scrambled to his feet, jumping up and putting on his best suave face. 

"Why hello there, little lady," he greeted with a wink. Marinette rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, shaking her head knowingly. They had met before, so he supposed that she had gotten enough of him from just that one encounter. 

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out and about with Ladybug?" she asked with a smile. He sighed and approached her, taking her hand in his, pulling her close. 

"Something drew me here, must have been your beautiful face," he told her with a wink. She laughed and scoffed, flicming his nose softly. He blinked and laughed, letting her go. 

"Chat Noir, you're too much. What's a girl like me to do?" she asked, fawning. He could tell it was just for show, but still he still ate it up, straightening up and grinning wide. 

"What can I say?" He flexed a little, trying to show off his muscles. Then the tug in his stomach pulled again, throwing him off kilter, grabbing at his sides. Marinette quickly fell to her knees beside him, looking overwhlemed. 

"I don't... What's happening? Are you okay?" she asked, looking him over frantically. 

Heat pooled in his stomach as she laid her hands on him, each touch like fore to his skin. A small moan left his mouth, sounding closer to a groan, which he was thankful for. 

"Ugh... Mnnn... Never better..." he groaned out, grabbing her hands to keep her from touching him, but the holding of her hands only worsened it, and he had to bite his lip to leep from embarrassing himself. He saw her own face turning red, watching as she swallowed and licked her dry lips. "Help me up, could ya, Princess?" he requested, trying to keep it together. Marinette nodded and stood, her knees weak as she rose. She pulled him up, surprisingly strong for someone so petite, and looked into his green eyes. 

He pulled her close, closing any space between them and closed his eyes, revelling in the heat.

"Chat..." Marinette drawled out, her eyes half-lidded. He swallowed nervously and had to fight to pull away, shaking his head. 

"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me..." he apologized his gaze at the ground. The ache, the need remained, taunting him and teasing him, but he refrained. He couldn't afford to let anything happen, especially when Marinette was giving him the hottest look he had ever seen. 

"No no... It's fine. Are you okay?" she managed, fixing her hair and fidgeting around uncomfortably. He nodded and furrowed his brows, surprised when the pull left as quickly as it had come. He let out a deep breath, gasping in the clean, fresh air that now had the slightest trace of musk. 

"Yeah, I... I think I should go..." he trailed off, turning around and jumping before being pulled back down. He looked behind him to find that Marinette had grabbed his tail and yanked him back to her. He tilted his head curiously. "What are y-" he managed to ask before he was silenced by her lips against his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha whoops, I think I might need to change the rating. Mmmm but I think it'll be okay.   
> Thanks for reading guys and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Her lips burned against his, tingling and sending waves of intense heat throughout his body, pooling in his core. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, change the angle, deepen the kiss, move with his drive, but his tail smacked his thigh roughly, sending a sharp, stinging pain up his spine. Eyes opening wide, he pulled himself away, looking down at Marinette's surprised and curious expression. She tilted her head, mouth slightly open and lips moist and pink. 

He licked his own lips and closed his eyes, shaking his head and rubbing her shoulders in assurance. He couldn't do this, not to Marinette, not to his friend. He didn't feel that way for her, he loved Ladybug. The thought of her alone tugged in his gut, but he ignored it, placing a kiss on her forehead and taking her hand in his. 

"I didn't mean to torture you, Princess. I don't know what came over me. Please forgive me," he asked, turning around and crossing his arms shyly. He felt her hands rub his back and he turned around to see her smiling and beaming up at him. She nodded her head and skimmed her fingers over her swollen lips. 

"Goodnight, Chat Noir," she bade him, waving him off. He felt his heart catch slightly as he saluted her and hopped off into the night, wanting to go back but needing to get away.

He found that most of his life was about escaping. He was always running, always putting on a mask. Sighing, he stopped at a rooftop and looked up at the bright Parisian sky. Even in the nighttime, Paris was as beautiful as the sun. 

 Chat Noir sat down, feeling the heat beginning to leave his face, a sense of peace falling over him when realized what time it was. He looked around nervously before hearing a set of footsteps directly behind him, causing his heart to tingle. 

It was his beautiful and perfect Ladybug, standing tall and proud in front of him, looking down with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Chat Noir didn't know what to say. He couldn't say anything. 

"What? Cat got your tongue?" she teased, poking his nose playfully. 

He blinked and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Uh... Sorry my lady, I... got carried away in your eyes," he swooned, trying to keep up with her. She raised an eyebrow and laughed. 

"You seem a little frazzled. What's got your fur in a bunch?" she asked, giggling as she made another pun. He stood and brushed himself off, laughing with her to lighten the mood. 

"Just trying to do this purr-trol," he answered, the pun adding to his efforts. She seemed to not believe him, but accepted it anyways. 

"So where would you like to go first?" she asked patting him on the back before pausing abruptly. She blinked and Chat watched as her face turned as red as her suit. He frowned, eyes widening as he stepped back, looking at her worriedly. 

"My lady...?" 

She turned and looked at him, eyes half-lidded, and smiled at him, sauntering over his way. "Kitty," she hummed, eyes locked on him. His heart raced, feeling the tug beginning to return. He looked around, unsure what to do, but knowing that he needed to do something- and quick. 

"My lady, I don't think you are in control of yourself. Ladybug, it's Chat Noir!" he called out as she closed the distance, pressing herself against him, threatening his own control, before abruptly halting and staring at him like a deer caught in headlights. "My lady...?" 

She withdrew from him with difficulty and blushed harder at her actions. She was panting, but Chat wasn't any better off. "I... I don't know what... I... That was weird," she stammered trying to understand what was happening. Chat Noir nodded and held his hand out to her. 

"I understand. Ladybug...Plagg told me something the other day... Something about history and fate...." he trailed off, see Ladybug's eyes closing. She nodded and sighed, 

Tikki's talked about it too, about the connection..." she added quietly, looking down at her own hands, which shook with frustration. 

He tilted his head, frowning. This was making his Ladybug upset. Was being with him so bad? He felt his own hands begin to shake, knees quaking beneath him. He looked up at her and when their eyes met, he could see into her heart, what she felt but wasn't expressing. 

"Chat.... You know we can't..." she began before Chat closed his eyes, nodding but feeling his eyes beginning to sting with tears that threatened to fall from his face. 

"Why not? Am I so bad?" he asked in a whisper. Ladybug shook her head, stepping to move closer to him, but the tug in his stomach only brought more pain to his heart, and he jumped back, looking at her with hurt in his eyes. "I do everything for you. We have a connection, we feel something. Why can't we just be together?" he asked, while feeling guilty as he recalled the events that had just happened with Marinette. 

She lowered her head and sighed. "Because, it could put us in more danger. Besides, what if it doesn't work out and we lose our friendship? We are partners. Paris needs us. I can't risk that," she ecplained softly. Chat Noir shook his head and chuckled dryly. 

"Always putting the city first... Alright. As you wish, my lady," he said with a bow before running and jumping away, putting as much distance betweem them as possible. 

* * *

"You're an idiot, you know that? You finally had Ladybug in your grasp and you let her go!" Plagg scolded, floating around Adrien angrily. 

"Don't you get it, Plagg? She  _doesn't_ want me! She thinks I'm nobody!" he cried back, face in his pillows. Plagg threw a small pillow at him and hissed. 

" _Of course she wants you_! You're Chat Noir! She is just stubborn. Didn't you see how she was acting?" he pointed out, sitting on Adrien's back. The blonde teen just sighed. 

"It's not  _her_ though. It's our kwami. Maybe we don't feel like this at all... Maybe she really just doesn't want me..." he trailed off, beginning to understand more clearly. "Plagg... Have you ever noticed that nobody really... Wants me? I mean,  me. They all want the model, or the superhero. Why can't they just want me? My own parents don't even want me..." he sniffled, tears rolling down his face. 

Plagg laid down on his back, patting him comfortingly. There wasn't much he could say, so instead he offered his company. As an ancient being, he had seen plenty of people in similar situations, but he knew that each person had their own way of dealing with it. 

Adrien knew his crying was excessive, he knew that other people had it worse, but he just felt like everything was against him. Just his luck. 

He just didn't know how to handle any more of this. The rejection, the pain, and the annoying tug in his gut that wouldn't leave him alone. The tug that seared like burning fire, roasting his insides and heating him to his core. As much as he enjoyed the feeling, it hurt him knowing he couldn't get rid of it. 

He sighed and rubbed his face against his pillow. "Plagg, can you get rid of this...?" he asked, sounding pathetic and pitiful. 

"Well..." the kwami began, sounded wary. "Maybe..."

"What do I have to do?" Adrien asked immediately, turning over amd facing his kwami. Plagg looked down at his small paws. 

"I guess... I could just... Suppress it? But you wouldn't feel anything for Ladybug. Nothing."

Adrien looked his kwami down, eyes red and puffy, but serious. 

"Do it."

"When I say nothing, I mean  _nothing_ -"

" _Do it."_

 


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Free

Or

Empty.

He couldn't tell the difference. Even if he could, he would ignore it. His body felt as though it was floating, flying through a dense fog of calm and unease. It was so bittersweet. 

Soft light rested on his face, eyes flittering open slowly, emerald orbs exposing themselves to the expanse of his room. He sat up, stretching and yawning, pawing at the air. The kwami beside him mimicked the motion and gave Adrien an exasperated look. 

"Someone looks happy," Plagg commented grumpily before licking a paw softly. Adrien smiled at his kwami before nodding. 

"I don't know how you did it, but I just feel fantastic. Thank you so much, little buddy," Adrien told him, smiling complementarily. 

"You know that it isn't just  _not there_ anymore. It's just concentrated somewhere else..." he mumbled, floating into Adrien's waiting hands. The teen nodded and laughed, handing a piece of cheese to his kwami. 

"So the where did you put it? You know, all the suppressed thoughts and feelings?" he inquired, tilting his head and blinking curiously. The kwami sighed. 

"Your suit. Any time you become Chat Noir, you will feel everything you are repressing," he answered flatly, shrugging. Adrien's eyes widened as he gawked at the statement.

"Then... What was the point of all this if I'm still going to feel it?" he asked indignantly, frowning. Plagg narrowed his tired eyes at the teen and hissed.

"I'm doing my best! At least it won't be all the time. Jeez, ungrateful much?" he pouted, crossing his little paws across his chest and facing away from Adrien. The teen sighed and pet his kwami on the head affectionately. 

"Thanks, Plagg. I really appreciate it," he mused, sighing. 

Turning, Adrien moved out of the bed and stretched, taking in the information. It really wasn't so bad. He was only Chat Noir for a minute amount of time compared to his life as Adrien. He frowned. What had once been his escape was becoming his prison.

Walking over to his balcony, he looked down at the happy faces of the Parisians moving through the city, walking with their friends or families and laughing, no cares in the world. The sight made his heart break, feeling the painful longing he used to feel when his father first began ignoring him and had begun controlling him. He even saw Marinette, clumsily bumping into bystanders and hastily apologizing before accidentally running into the next poor victim. His face remained expressionless and he rolled his eyes, sighing- everything he couldn't have was just outside while everything he didn't want was all inside.

He fixed his gaze back to his bed, wondering if he could simply return to its warmth for the rest of the day, but knowing that his father undoubtedly had plans for the entire day. He groaned and moved to his walk-in closet, throwing on his favorite black t-shirt and jeans. It was extremely casual, but he was probably going to have to take them off anyways for the photo-shoots.

Well, he wasn't wrong.

He was busy.

As he walked out of his mansion, looking down at the ground as Gorilla followed behind, he was of course greeted with a short, excitable girl who crashed into him and looked up at him in awe. He stumbled back slightly, looking down at the girl who had fallen. Extending a hand to her, he smiled politely and offered to help her up.

"Careful, you never know who you could be bumping into. Are you okay?" he asked as Marinette took his hand and scrambled to her feet. She blushed and stammered out an unintelligible statement, apologies mixed in with squeaks and stutters. "It was nice running into you, Marinette," he told her, nodding and smiling before moving to leave. Something about the entire exchange felt... off... to him. Like something had gone a way it shouldn't have, but he couldn't see himself reacting any differently. He sighed as he walked on, trying to get to the photo-shoot area quickly, but not wanting to go.

Of course, at the end of the shoot, when they were finishing up and the darkness of night was upon them, he heard the sound of distant screaming and crashing, and he sighed tiredly before grumbling and excusing himself and transforming. As soon as he entered the suit, his pupils dialated, and he felt himself heating up, panting and huffing. The tug in his gut felt impossibly strong, almost painful, and he swallowed down the feeling, trying to pull himself together.

There was an akuma, and he needed to focus if he was going to be able to keep up with L-....Ladybug. His knees shook, threatening to give out on him, and he had to take a moment to right himself before he ran towards the sound of the chaos.

It looked like some sort of transformer or something like that, mostly likely a construction worker, and- there she was! His eyes widened and he picked up his pace, hurrying over to where she was about to swing around the akumatized victim. He had to restrain himself from pouncing on her and attacking her in hugs and kisses, his common sense the only thing keeping him in place. 

"My lady!" he called, stopping before her and crossing his arms across his chest, trying to look cooler. Her eyes widened but quickly went back to their usual sassy expression. She rolled her eyes and smirked at him. 

"Good to see you, I need you. See that..." her voice trailed off in his mind as he blushed at the sound of her saying she needed him. That he was needed.

She snapped her fingers in his face, bringing him back to reality. He looked down at her, eyes wide. She wasn't happy about this. "Focus, Chat! C'mon, just follow my lead!" she called as she jumped, swinging over to the akuma.

Chat followed after her, leaping onto the rooftops, finally meeting Ladybug where she had summoned her lucky charm of a crowbar, one the more usual charms she had ever gotten. She grinned at him and winked. 

"I'm going to throw you across the rooftop, use this crowbar to pry the hat off of the akuma," she told him, jamming the crowbar into his hands and picking him up, swinging around before tossing him to the akuma. He blinked, confused and surprised. Everything was happening so quickly. He landed on the back of the akuma, scurrying up and getting to the little hat that sat on top of its head. He popped the hat off and leapt blindly, closing his eyes and hopping he would be okay. He landed in a pair of small but strong arms, grinning at him before taking the hat and throwing it on the ground. 

She captured the akuma, purifying it before tossing her lucky charm into the air where it exploded and cured the city. Looking back at him, she placed her hands on her hips and smirked. 

"Pound it!" she called, holding up her fist for him. He tilted his head and grinned, lids lowering and bumping her fist before crossing his arms across his chest and taking a step back. She frowned when he pulled back and looked at him warily. "Look, about the other night... I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to come off the way I did. I really do care about you and think you are great but I-" he held up his hand, grinning at her smugly. 

"Shhh, it's fine, I'm okay. Don't worry about it," he purred, approaching her and taking her hand, kissing it softly at first but then lingering as his lips grew addicted to her. He closed his eyes and pulled away, releasing her hand. "I wish you understood..." he sighed, shaking his head. She tilted her head and frowned, not appearing to understand what he meant by that. 

"Chat..."

"Can't you feel it? The pull? You said you could, so how can you keep pretending like you can't feel anything?!" he growled at her, not necessarily angry, but frustrated that she was being so... obtuse? This was a big deal to him and he could feel himself heating up, both with want and annoyance. Ladybug sighed and looked down at her feet. 

"Tikki told me that Chat Noir and Ladybug always end up together, but that sometimes it doesn't work out. If this doesn't work out, Chat, we could seriously ruin the good we've done for the city. Besides... I... I like someone else..." she admitted, gently looking up at him. He frowned, knowing that this would probably happen. Nobody wanted him anyways...

"...Can I at least know who...?" he asked quietly after a moment of silence had passed by. Ladybug frowned and shook her head, but upon seeing the defeated expression Chat wore, acquiesced. "His name is... Adrien..." she mumbled, blushing and looking away. Chat blinked in confusion and stiffened, not quite sure that he had heard her right. 

"The... the model?" he asked, incredulous. She nodded and turned away from him, not wanting him to see her blushing so much, he guessed. 

"So that's why I can't-"

"How long have you liked him? Why? What has he done for you that I haven't? What's he like?" The questions rolled out, more in shock and curiosity that anything esle. Ladybug turned back to glance at him over her shoulder, giving him a confused look. 

"He's uh... I mean... A long time? Uh... he's super nice and kind and really handsome. He hasn't really done anything for  _me_ per se, but I've seen him do a lot of stuff for other people. Why do you want to know- wait. You don't... happen to  _know_ him, do you?" she asked, her eyes widening as she turned to face him entirely. She shot him an accusitory glare and frowned. He held his hands up in defense and cursed his curiosity. 

"Hey now, I was just curious. Guess I wanted to know what I was competing with..." he sighed, trying to seem heartbroken. Of course, in reality, this was a game changer. Now this meant that she might know him in real life. Now, she might even be one of his friends! Inwardly, he discredited the thought. He would  _definitely_ know Ladybug when he saw her. He had to keep himself from smiling, but it was kind of difficult when he kept thinking about how perfect this was. No. How  _purr-_ fect this was. 

"Chat, stop smiling. You're freaking me out. Look, I need to get going, I'm about to detransform, I'm really sorry but-" she cut herself off, interrupted by the final beeping. She looked at him with wide eyes and poised herself to jump off the roof. This was it. This was his chance! He could just tell her! 

"Wait, Ladybug! I'm Adrien!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so Adrien acts a little out of character towards her when she bumps into him, and that is on purpose. 100%. He is unable to feel anything for Ladybug, and this includes Marinette! Does this mean that Plagg knows who Ladybug is? Maybe. Maybe not. Guess we'll have to wait and find out! See ya later!:)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I have hopped aboard this miraculous train and I am loving it. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough fanfiction, so here I am. Haha. I love this square ship and I am so excited. If you guys have ideas for what you want in the future, I'm totally open for suggestions. If I like the idea enough, I'll credit you at the beginning and try to incorporate it! Let me know if you like something or if you don't so that I can make this better for you. Alright, thats all from me, see you later, my Miraculouses! <3


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